Association between body fat percentage and physical performance in male Korean police officers

Abstract

Body composition can affect a police officer's physical performance. We analyzed the correlation between body fat percentage (%fat) and physical performance in 326 male Korean police officers (age, 44.2 ± 9.2 years; height, 174.0 ± 4.5 cm; weight, 76.4 ± 8.8 kg) who were classified into two groups according to their %fat: high-fat (HFG, %fat ≥ 25%; n = 135) and low-fat (LFG, %fat < 25%; n = 191). Physical performance tests included a 100-m sprint, push-ups, sit-ups, and a hand-grip strength test. The results showed significant differences in performance between the groups in the 100-m sprint (p = 0.001) and in the sit-up test (p = 0.033), but not for push-ups (p = 0.130) or hand-grip strength (p = 0.255). A significant positive correlation was found between %fat and the 100-m sprint (r = 0.255, p < 0.000), and a negative correlation was found between %fat and push-ups (r =-0.117, p = 0.035) and sit-ups (r =-0.199, p < 0.000). However, there was no significant correlation between %fat and hand-grip strength (r =-0.093, p = 0.095). To improve physical performance, an intervention training program is recommended for reducing %fat, because high levels of %fat in male Korean police officers were associated with low levels of physical performance.